Man who inspired ‘The Terminal’ dies at Paris airport

ktla ^

[BenLurkin]

An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and whose saga loosely inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday in the airport that he long called home, officials said.

Mehran Karimi Nasseri died after a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F around midday, according an official with the Paris airport authority. Police and a medical team treated him but were not able to save him, the official said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named.

Nasseri lived in the airport’s Terminal 1 from 1988 until 2006, first in legal limbo because he lacked residency papers and later by apparent choice.

Year in and year out, he slept on a red plastic bench, making friends with airport workers, showering in staff facilities, writing in his diary, reading magazines and surveying passing travelers.

[golux]

Poor fella. Nearly happened to me at EWR.

[moovova]

The terminal was terminal for the fella.

[NetAddicted]

He lived at the airport for 18 years?

[Bigbrown]

If he were a Democrat he was complained about the airplane noise…

[TexasGator]

“
He lived at the airport for 18 years?”

An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport ,,, “

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

Nearly happened to my family as we attempted to walk from Turkey to Greece. We exited Turkey, but Turkish soldiers wouldn’t let us walk the bridge to Greece. Then Turkish entry wouldn’t let us back in because we didn’t have a Greek exit stamp in our passports. I finally refused to budge when a bus load of Japanese tourists got in line, forcing a reluctant re-entry to be granted.

[ConservativeMind]

In New Jersey??

[Robert DeLong]

Why wouldn’t you just say Newark Liberty International Airport, instead of which most people have no clue what airport that might be?

[Robert DeLong]

FILE – Merhan Karimi Nasseri sits among his belongings at Terminal 1 of Roissy Charles De Gaulle Airport, north of Paris on Aug. 11, 2004 . An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 in the airport, officials said. Merhan Karimi Nasseri died after a heart attack in the airport’s terminal 2F around midday, according an official with the Paris airport authority. Police and then a medical team treated him but were not able to save him, the official said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

[Robert DeLong]

He must have sensed that his end was near (he was 77 - born in Soleiman, a part of Iran then under British jurisdiction in 1945 to an Iranian father & British mother).

In the weeks before his death, Nasseri had been again living at Charles de Gaulle, the airport official said.

He left Iran to study in England in 1974. When he returned, he said, he was imprisoned for protesting against the shah and expelled without a passport.